China leaders follow script on corruption questions

Date: November 11 2012

William Wan Beijing

THE spectre of corruption continued to hound China's leaders on the second day of a week-long Communist Party congress at which the country's next generation of top leaders are expected to be appointed.

At several group events throughout the day, reporters were allowed to watch party leaders discuss policy in a scripted manner - mostly designed to give the party congress a veneer of democratic dialogue.

But the veneer was shattered, in most cases, when leaders opened up the floor to questions.

Reporters inevitably tried to ask about recent corruption scandals and the lack of enforcement and strong anti-corruption regulations in China, which allows leaders and their relatives to profit off their political connections. In most cases, the questions were not answered.

Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, especially, has been under fire since a recent New York Times article claimed his family controlled assets worth US$2.7 billion, some of it in industries that fall under Mr Wen's purview. Policy discussions attended by Mr Wen and President Hu Jintao on Friday were closed to reporters.

During a highly controlled news conference by the party's powerful Organisation Department, officials did not take questions on the sensitive issue of wealth among leaders' families. Instead, they talked in general terms about the need to reform and deal with corruption.

Addressing corruption after a different event, Wang Yang - a high-ranking party chief from Guangdong province known for being more candid and confident in dealing with the media than other party officials - also gave a fairly vague response.

''We are going to continue our efforts in this direction,'' he said. ''I believe that the officials in China will gradually have to publicly disclose their family assets according to the rules of the central committee.''

Amid a day of generalisations, the most surprising and direct response came from Yu Zhengsheng, the Shanghai party chief and an official many believe will land a coveted seat in the coming week on China's all-powerful standing committee.

When asked about family corruption, Mr Yu said his wife was now retired and his son had found a job on his own, and was struggling.

''I told him one rule: he is not allowed to work anywhere in Shanghai and in any area under my jurisdiction, and do not make contacts with Shanghai officials,'' Mr Yu said.

But he also defended the party's policies, saying regulations already in place - rather than individual actions like his - were keeping corruption at bay.

When asked if he would be the first to disclose his assets if the party passed regulations suggesting it, Mr Yu said: ''It's very easy for me to disclose, because I don't have many assets.''

His comments drew a measure of shock, as well as nervous laughs, from Chinese reporters unused to such candour from high-level officials. WASHINGTON POST

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